Maximize Your Time at Work So You Have More Time to Enjoy Your Life

Ep: 34

“We often aren’t maximizing our time because we aren’t putting in the time to be strategic in thinking through our work.” –Blake Schofield (11:02-11:08)

Knowing how to maximize your time lets you enjoy life and, hopefully, have a little more time for yourself. 

With so many demands coming your way, it can be hard to balance your time, energy, and focus. This causes you to lose sight of the more important things in life.

“Tactics matter. But so does your mindset. The key to maximizing your time comes from understanding how to leverage both.” –Blake Schofield (1:01-1:17)

The following  are signs that you’re not managing your time as well as you could be:

  • You’re always putting out fires.
  • You get sucked into unnecessary activities only to wonder where the day went.
  • You’re constantly working late into your evenings, nights, and weekends.
  • You worry your work isn’t good enough to meet other people’s expectations.
  • You’re never clear on the expectations of the work you’re doing or what success looks like.
  • You’re always having to rework projects due to unexpected changes.

The 5 Pillars for Maximizing Your Time

Pillar #1: Clarity Around Your Priorities

Set clear expectations by having the right conversations upfront. Get crystal clear on what you’re working on and its purpose.

You to have a structure around your work and get over the idea that you have to know what everyone wants. It’s okay to ask questions. You don’t have to prove you have all the answers.

Pillar #2: The Art of Time Blocking

Time blocking is one of the most important ways to be more effective in your work. It takes 30 minutes for our brains to return to a state of efficiency when we change tasks or become interrupted.

Time blocking is setting aside specific times on a daily basis to get your work done. High-leverage time is the best way to do that. It’s the  time you set aside to work on your most important priorities.

“Anytime you reduce unnecessary decisions, you end up with more brainpower for the stuff that matters.” – Blake Schofield (19:14-19:23)

Pillar #3: The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule states that 20 percent of your actions drive 80 percent of your results. You can see this rule in effect in every segment of life and business.

Are you clear on what that 20 percent is for you? If you’re like most people, you may be spending a lot of time on things that result in little or no improvement. What actions are driving the majority of your results?

Pillar #4: Minimizing Distractions

Today’s technology keeps us connected and helps us accomplish things quickly. But it can also be one of the biggest distractions.

Turn off notifications on your phone, laptop, and other devices. Too many notifications keep you from staying  focused and maximizing your productivity.

Pillar #5: Mindset 

Our beliefs drive our thoughts, which then drive the actions that create our reality. When we’re going through the same patterns over and over, tactics aren’t the solution. You have to identify limiting beliefs that are holding you back.

Your Action Steps for Maximizing Your Time

Here are two steps you can take to begin putting these pillars in place:

  1. Start tracking your time.
  2. Rate yourself on the five pillars

Where is your time going? Do this for a week, and you’ll be surprised by what you discover. Rate yourself from 0 to 10 on your competence of the five pillars for maximizing your time.

Take the two biggest opportunities for improvement and implement one shift—the one thing that’s going to make the biggest improvement.

When you no longer feel like you can never get through your to-do list, you get out of the cycle of negativity, shame, and guilt. You can feel good about the impact and the momentum you create for your career and your life.


Rather than hoping the grass will be greener, identify what the RIGHT next step is.

We can help you do just that.

Get clarity on where you are on your journey to career fulfillment, where you’re headed, optional paths to get there, and the right next step to take.

Start your complimentary, Personalized Career Fulfillment Plan by going to www.thebridgetofulfillment.com/plan

Want free resources to set your job search up for success? You can get them by going to: https://thebridgetofulfillment.com/mistakes

Transcript